out of date T3

[DRuthE]

does anyone know any reasons why you shouildn't take out of date T3. i have some from august 2012. are they likely to be harmful or do they become less strong/less effective?

[nobodysdriving]

I've never tried and I have not conducted any 'experiments', however, I would 'imagine' that if it was kept in its original closed contained, out of light and moisture and excessive heat, then yes, it is far more likely that if anything has happened it will be losing its potency first rather than being 'dangerous'.

of course this is me thinking and I would not dare telling you it's ok to take as it is not supposed to be taken after its expiry x

[nostoneunturned]

The manufacturers will have the answer. All contact details are on their website at:

mercurypharma.com.

[helvella Administrator]

No-one here, nor any medic, nor any pharmaceutical company could ever tell you they are safe.

The official documents ("monographs") used to define the standards to which medicines must be made (as in European Pharmacopoeia) will state what amounts of which impurities, breakdown products, etc, are acceptable in the product. Some of these are likely to be substances that the active ingredient will turn into over time. The limits on them are because many do indeed have biological effects - often not very well understood. The limits are there for sensible reasons. This is in addition to some loss of potency (which will be affected by how they have been stored - dry?, cool?, dark?).

[shaws Administrator]

I read an article a couple of months ago about the study of 'out of date medicines' and it was found that they didn't deteriorate past the date - one pack was about 45 years old and it could still have been used but I doubt anyone would take it anyway.

I found the article

cnn.co.uk/2012/10/08/health...

[Hidden]

Makes me wonder if the % of ingredients were correct in the first place, as only a few sample batches are actually tested. Then again it's not worth the risk, but do a risk assessment if you suddenly run out!

As for other stuff in your medicine cabinet like First Aid bandages & plasters.. ha! who gains if you buy new ones! (but First aiders who accidentally use them will be prosecuted)

As for out of date spuds - wrinkly & sprouting is a little give away! on that note I suppose I'm 'just' old enough to remember when there was no dating system, like on wine! J

[helvella Administrator in reply to Hidden]

Liothyronine (USA specs. which are probably the same for us) say it must be 95.0% to 101% of declared potency - and that is supposed to apply up to the expiry date.

A 6% change in some medicines would not make a great difference - but in thyroid medicine it can be significant. And we are considering that the manufacturer probably manages to make tablets which lose 5% in their original manufacture-to-expiry period (i.e. just within the 6% allowed). If that is one year, then allow another 5% in the next year and you are down to nearly 90%. (They might have a longer life, I do not have any to hand where I can check the expiry period.)

Rod

[vajra]

Hi Ruth. Despite a stable replacement scenario I had an episode of hypothyroidism a few years ago which seemed likely to be the result of low potency T4 or T3 - I take both.

Some digging brought up that (a) my T3 was about a year out of date, and (b) found references to a view that while it can be a bit unpredictable that thyroid hormone can rapidly lose potency with age.

It's very difficult to link cause and effect exactly in a situation like this, and it may depend on the exact brand of pill always - but i concluded that it was quite likely that it happens...

ian

ian